VDOT on standby for more wintry weather

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ASHLAND, Va (WTVR) -- Another looming snow storm is expected outside Central Virginia Wednesday morning. That's why the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has been taking extra precautions to make sure the driver home is a safe one. The department remains on standby, ready to hit the roads in order to apply salt and sand where necessary.

Because the surrounding areas are not expecting a lot of accumulation, it doesn't mean there won't concerns for drivers. Just last week there was a light coating of precipitation, but there were plenty of backups. Many drivers were slipping and sliding across the slushy roads causing several accidents, to include a multi-vehicle pile up and a car to overturn along I-64.

AAA said drivers not paying attention to the fast changing conditions were partially to blame.

This has not only been an active snow season, but an expensive one also. VDOT's snow-removal budget for the Richmond Metro area has not only been depleted, but is now in the red.

"We are expecting over the next couple of days, even weeks we probably will go over the budget several million dollars, "Lindsay LeGrand with VDOT said. "If we continue to see this active wintry weather that we have seen over the last month or so, we are adjusting our budget as needed."

LeGrand said VDOT is "looking into maintenance projects over the spring and into the summer to see where we can make those adjustments" in order to fill the large budget hole. The maintenance money VDOT expects to dip into is the agency's nearly $220 million fund.